Police
Report

Crime
Prevention Advice

Loch Safety
Reports have been received that life saving equipment has been damaged
or removed from the loch side at Kirkgate Park and that persons have
been seen to be walking on some apparently frozen parts of the loch.
This is obviously extremely dangerous and if anyone should fall through
the ice and the equipment is not to hand then lives may be lost.
Residents are asked to be vigilant and report any suspicious persons
tampering with the equipment and telephone in on 101 with descriptions.

Wildlife Crime
Reports have been received regarding persons acting suspiciously in
fields and wooded areas allegedly hare coursing or rabbit trapping.
Hare coursing is a crime and any suspicious vehicles or persons should
be reported to the Police.
Rabbit catching is not an offence if the landowner has given permission
for the practice.

Internet Safety
We receive a lot of enquiries regarding Internet safety and how to
protect against online fraud. Here are some useful tips:How to protect your PC
• Get anti-virus software, anti-spyware software and a firewall
and make sure these are kept up to date.
• Block spam e-mails.
• Use an up to date web browser.
• Make regular back-ups.
• Encrypt your wireless network.
• Your internet provider likely offers parental controls. Make
use of these.
How to avoid online rip-offs
• When you shop online, look for clear signs that you’re
buying from a reputable company. The padlock symbol and ‘https’
in the address bar show that the website you are using is secure.
• Get to know any online auction sites you use and learn how
to pick good sellers.
• Use safe ways to pay. Middleperson services like PayPal, where
the seller never sees your card or account details, reduce your risk.
Link PayPal with a credit card rather than a debit card or bank account
to increase the amount of time you have to appeal any fraud.
• Use common sense to avoid scams. Sounds too good to be true?
It probably is.
Take care of your online identity and privacy
• If you don’t know who an e-mail is from, delete it without
opening it or move it to your spam folder.
• Never open attachments or click on links in unsolicited e-mails.
• Reputable companies don’t ask for your details or passwords
in an e-mail.
• If you receive an e-mail from a bank or other organisation
and you are not sure if it is genuine, contact the company directly
or log-in to your account as you normally do – do not click
on a link in the e-mail.
• Avoid identity theft by using an up to date web browser and
blocking bogus e-mails with a spam filter.
• Use strong passwords, with a combination of letters and numbers.
Try not to use obvious words like names of family members.
• Don’t give away too much personal information on blogs
and social networking sites.
• Familiarise yourself with the websites your children are using
and make sure they understand how to stay safe online. Direct them
to: www.thinkuknow.co.uk or
www.getsafeonline.org

Crime Stoppers – Telephone 0800 555 111
This telephone number is a free phone number (unless you are using
a mobile phone), which any member of the public can contact at any
time if you have information relating to a criminal activity of any
sort. It is, if you wish, confidential and you cannot be contacted
if you choose to remain anonymous.